The Protector's Flower
by Salazar Marvolo
Summary: Ichigo is made Captain of the eighth after the end of the Thousand Year Blood War. How will he hold up in his new Position? Especially when a certain blond haired Captain is starting to mean more and more to him?
1. Chapter 1

**The Protector's Flower**

Ichigo took another deep breath. His first day as Captain. His first day as a permanent resident of Soul Society. After Yhwachs defeat he did some thinking, contemplating his life, his drive and motivation, what he truly wanted. Having come to a decision he talked to the Soutaichou, he had simply asked if it were possible for him to attend the Academy. Kyoraku had asked him with a laugh whatever he wanted to learn there. When Ichigos very hesitant answer had been: Kido. Kyoraku had only laughed more before offering him his own former place as Captain of the eight. Ichigo accepted. Afterwards Kyoraku had kept the new position of Ichigo as Captain under tight wraps, he wanted to give his fellow Captains the scare of their lives, after all just because he was Captain Commander didn't mean he couldn't have any fun. Kyoraku cleared his throat and called them to order. His eyes swept over the ranks of Captains, taking in the newly healed forms of Rose, Kensei and Toshiro and shooting a thankful look at the Captain of the twelfth.

Kyoraku greeted them with a grin.

"The meeting today has been called to announce the new Captain of Squad eight!" He called out to them. "Please enter!" He said, a grin on his face. Ichigo walked in, Haori already on his back and frown in place. He smirked at the startled faces of the other Captains.

"Really didn't tell them did you, Shunsui?" Ichigo asked Kyoraku with a raised eyebrow, Kyoraku only grinned back and winked in answer.

Ichigo shook his head before shrugging and taking his position among the Captains. Afterwards they talked about the ongoing repairs and number of new Soul Reapers to expect coming form the Academy this year. Ichigo had expected it to be this boring and kept his face carefully emotionless. After cancelling the meeting Ichigo was immediately swarmed by the former Vizards as well as Toshiro and Byakuya

"Seriously, Ichigo?" Shinji asked him, Cheshire cat grin in place. "Couldn't ya have warned us?" He asked.

Ichigo shrugged.

"I was busy writing my finals, if you got a problem with not knowing ask Shunsui." He simply said. Kensei raised an eyebrow at him.

"You finished school before coming here? What's the point?" He asked. Ichigo looked at him.

"Had you known my mother you'd know…" He said. Kensei looked at him in contemplation but took his explanation.

Byakuya looked at him.

"Why did you leave your life behind?" He questioned in a surprisingly soft voice. Ichigo blinked at him in surprise before ducking his head and rubbing his neck a little.

"My chain of fate was already cut years ago, Byakuya. I guess you can connect the dots yourself…" Byakuya looked at him in surprise, as did the others.

"…Your already dead." Kensei said in shock. Ichigo nodded.

"Jep! Hat'n'clogs cut it so I could get my powers back and save Rukia." He said.

Byakuya looked down, the guilt of those times still weighing heavily on his shoulders. Ichigo patted his back and grinned at him.

"Don't go mopping around on me now Byakuya." The Kuchiki heir simply closed his eyes and regained his usual air of cold pride with a nod into Ichigos direction. Ichigo looked at him in amusement.

Toshiro was the one to speak up next.

"At least I am no longer the youngest." He said, a triumphant grin on his face.

"But still the shortest. Stop dreaming Toshiro." Toshiro glared at Ichigo.

"That's Hitsugaya-tai-." He stopped when he realized that they now held the same status.

"You know what…I don't care…" With that Toshiro walked away, head held high.

"He's so cute when he's pouting." Ichigo told Shinji with a grin, loud enough for Toshiro to hear.

"Ya souldn't tease him like that Ichigo." Ichigo looked at Shinji accusingly.

"Why, Shinji? You know that's the only joy in my life!" He said dramatically. Rose started chuckling while Shinji simply shook his head in amusement and left. Kensei and Love excused themselves too, leaving Rose and Ichigo to slowly walk into the direction of their divisons.

"Good to see that the clown was able to heal you completely." Ichigo told him, smirking at Rose. Rose nodded.

"Yes, I am quite thankful to him. Though the thought of being indebted to him scares me more than anything else." Rose admitted, pulling a face at the thought. Ichigo laughed.

"I can see why. Man, you guys really had me scared for a second there…" Ichigo said, he looked down at the street, smile vanishing slowly. Rose nudged his shoulder.

"Didn't know you cared, carrot top." He told him teasingly. Ichigo smirked back.

"Everybody cares for their family." Ichigo only said. Rose blinked at him in surprise for a few seconds, Ichigo made use of the time to wave at him over his shoulder and vanish in a flash of shunpo. Rose huffed a laugh at Ichigos quick escape, smiling fondly as he looked at the place he had been in a second ago.

* * *

Ichigo sighed. Kyoraku had appointed Rukia as his lieutenant. With that Ichigos life was officially hell, though the eight seemed to take comfort from the fact that not everything had changed. They still had a Vice Captain that took beating their Captain as a sport. And on top of that their new Captain seemed to get things done. He was hard working and earnest, he listened to the complains of his men and made changes and improvements. He even could be found conversing with unseated members and joined them for training many times.

Almost all the women and a few men of their division were hopelessly infatuated with the young man, yet nobody felt jealous, they knew their Captain was a great and strong man, he had after all saved Seireitei twice and despite his young age he was well respected among them. Ichigo himself was not unaware of the respect his division held for him, he was proud of his division, of their unity and strength.

He preached to them every single day that as a division they were family, they had to protect each other but at the same time they should never forget their duty. To protect the Souls in Seireitei, be it Shinigami or not. Members of his division found bullying members from other divisions (mostly from the forth) were punish heavily. But his hard work had paid off, just last week he could watch members of his division protecting a forth division member from some thugs.

They all had been called to his office and praised for their actions. On top of that he had started drawing plans to improve team work among his men. He trained with them every morning. He had them build teams and work together to achieve a goal, improving their trust in one another and letting them evaluate each other's strengths and weaknesses. The teams were changed every month, this guaranteed that his division was well acquainted with one another and could work in any group constellation possible. Ichigo nodded as he looked over the new training plan for his division. Rukia, though she was loath to admit, was impressed by the changes he had made in the eight. She still hit him over the head when he forgot to do his paperwork, or generally when she was bored but aside from that Ichigo was well on his way to become one of the most popular Captains.

Ichigo quickly got up from his desk, it was time for the monthly Captains meeting. He quickly got Zangetsu from their stance in the corner of the room and hefted them on his back. Walking through his division he greeted the members as he passed, he knew every single one of their names, he knew their weaknesses, strengths and aspirations. He nodded and smiled at a group of men bowing to him in passing. Leaving the division through the double doors he left in a burst of Shunpo. He landed light footed right in front of the first division. Kensei walked up behind him, he raised his eyebrow at Ichigo.

"In just one step. Not bad, Ichigo." Ichigo waved his praise away.

"Still practicing. How's Mashiro? Still not regretting making her your Lieutenant again?" He asked him. Kensei only gave a long-suffering sigh, he walked away from Ichigo muttering and cursing. Ichigo grinned as he watched Kensei take his place and glare at the floor. Rose popped up next to him.

"Hello Ichigo. What happened to Kensei?" He asked as he saw him moodily staring around. Ichigos grin stretched.

"Ohh just a neon green bug that has been annoying him." He said while turning to Rose. Rose chuckled.

"I see…" Shinji came in next.

"Heya." He said around a jaw breaking yawn.

"Yo." Ichigo simply greeted back. Shinji scratched his neck and looked at Ichigo.

"What did ya do to the eighth Ichigo?" Shinji asked him. Ichigo turned towards him eyebrows first raised in question before narrowing them.

"Why? Did they fuck up?" Ichigo asked him. Shinji shook his head quickly. Rose spoke up next.

"Quite the opposite. I have never seen a division where every single member gets along…" Rose said, trailing of at the end. Ichigo snorted.

"As if every member in my division gets along, they butt heads more times than I can count." Shinji frowned slightly.

"But they work together well, and they seem to know each other pretty well too." Ichigo nodded.

"Yes, I make them work together. Whether they want to or not. If they end up in a situation with a person they don't get along with or don't know, they have to know how to act. I'd rather force them into those situations now than see them 'learning by doing'." Ichigo said, pulling a face at the end. Shinji looked at him surprised.

"Well, good work Ichigo. Seems like you are succeeding." With that Shinji walked away to talk to Love. Rose stayed next to Ichigo. He gave the younger man a long look.

"You want them to be prepared as much as they can, don't you?" Rose asked him softly. Ichigo nodded.

"…Because you were thrown into this not even knowing what you were…with no choice but to make it up while you went." Ichigo looked over at Rose, he sighed deeply.

"Yes, it wasn't all bad…mind you, I am still here. But the more they are aware of each other's and their own weaknesses, the more experience they gain working with their team mates, the better prepared they will be." Rose nodded slowly, he gave Ichigo a smile.

"Let me know if you want to do any joined exercises sometime." He told him with a smile. Ichigo immediately perked up.

"That would be brilliant, I wanted to ask someone for a while, but I wasn't sure who. If it's okay with you I'll come by during the next week and we can draw up a plan?" Ichigo asked him, smiling at Rose brightly. Rose smiled back.

"Sure." He answered.

The Soutaichou stepped in, all chatter stopped as the meeting began.

* * *

Rose was walking back with Shinji.

"So how do ya think our Strawberry is holding up?" Shinji asked him. Rose looked over, eye brows raised.

"Same as you. I think he is doing brilliant. That guy was born to be Captain from what it looks like." Shinji grinned and chuckled.

"Don't let yourself be led on. Ichigo puts a lot of effort into his duties." Rose nodded in contemplation at Shinjis remark.

"Yes…Not having had the chance to prepare himself thoroughly has led to him doing the best he can to give that chance to his division." Shinji looked at him after he said that.

"Guess so." Shinji said in answer. Suddenly his grin grew wider. "Do you know what I just noticed a few days ago?" He asked Rose. Rose shook his head and motioned for him to continue.

"Ichigo is here. Which means Orihime-chan is in the world of the living all on her own! Desperately waiting for a knight in shining armor!" Shinji yelled an arm thrown around Rose. Rose shook his head at his antics.

"Yes, it seems like Orihime-chan has lost her chance…" He said. A voice suddenly spoke up to him.

"She didn't." Rose and Shinji looked around, their eyes landed on Yoruichi sitting on a wall to their right and grinning at them. Shinji tilted his head to the right.

"What do ya mean?" He asked her. Yoruichi jumped down from the wall and started walking with them.

"Ohh just that Orihime-chan confessed to our dear Ichigo and he turned her down." Shinjis eyes had grown wide.

"He turned her down?! Is he an Idiot?!" He asked/ yelled at her. Yoruichi only raised her eyebrow at him.

"It's Ichigo…is what I would normally say but he was quite gentle form what I heard…" Rose looked at her.

"Why did he turn her down?" He asked her, while Shinji was busy making plans to visit his 'first love'. Yoruichi turned towards Rose. A smile graced her features as she spoke next.

"He's gay." She said. Rose blinked at her in surprise. Shinji had stopped his antics and was gaping at Yoruichi. Shinji was, surprisingly, the first to get his bearing back.

"You're kidding…" He said. Yoruichi shook her head.

"Afraid not. Quite the shame too, he's such a hottie." She said, pouting a little. Rose silently agreed with her, before slapping himself mentally.

"Why hasn't he told us yet?" Rose asked her, trying to distract himself.

"Oh, I guess it simply didn't come up yet. He already told all his friends in Karakura. Isshin was the last to know…he was also the only one who threw quite the tantrum…" She told them, her golden eyes serious as she looked at them. Rose looked back, eyes somber as he took in that information. Shinji pressed his lips together in thought.

"What did he do?" Shinji finally asked. Yoruichi turned towards him.

"I'm only telling you this because Ichigo considers you family…and he could use some support after the things Isshin said…" She told them softly. "He told Ichigo to never come back, to never show his face at his door again, he told him that he wasn't sad that Ichigo would go away and that Ichigo would never see his sisters again if it was up to Isshin…" Rose blinked at her in shock. Shinji also grew very quiet.

"He seemed fine when he came here…and he seems fine now…" Shinji said softly. Yoruichi huffed a sardonic laugh.

"It's Ichigo…of course he seems fine…He would never admit to being hurt." Shinjis face twisted in thought. Rose spoke up.

"I will talk to him…I have a meeting with him during the week anyway." Yoruichi nodded at him thankfully and excused herself. Shinji and Rose remained quite during the rest of their way.

* * *

A hell butterfly came flying through the open window of Roses office. Raising an eyebrow, he let it land on his outstretched finger. He listened to the message and smiled slightly at the end. It had been from Ichigo requesting a meeting the next day. Rose quickly recorded his answer and send the hell butterfly on its way back.

The next day found Rose sitting at a small table in one of the meeting rooms of his division, Ichigo was due to come within the next minutes. A quite knock alerted him to his arrival.

"Come in!" Rose called out. The door opened and Ichigo stepped in, notebook under his arm and a smile on his face.

"Thank you for agreeing to this Rose!" Ichigo told him as he sat down at the table. Rose waved away his worries.

"My pleasure." He told him with a smile. They spent the next hour drawing up a joined training plan for their divisions. It would see that all members in a group are divided equally, there was not to be one group which only held the strong members of a division. Having finished Ichigo leaned back and stretched.

"Whew! We did it." He said, grinning at Rose. Rose nodded and sighed deeply as he leaned back.

"Remind me to never agree to this again." He told Ichigo with a teasing smile.

"Aww, how nice of you." Ichigo shot back, mock glaring at him.

"Come on, I'll treat you to dinner." Rose said, getting up from his seat. Ichigo arched an eyebrow at him.

"Oh? What's the occasion?" Ichigo asked him jokingly. Rose turned around with a lopsided grin.

"Us having finished this hellish nightmare of a training routine." He simply said back. Ichigo laughed and followed him. They went to a small Ramen restaurant just on the Outskirts of Seireitei. Rose stepped inside and greeted the owner with a wave.

"The usual!" He called over. Ichigo looked a little lost. Rose chuckled.

"Two times!" He called to the owner. Ichigo thanked him with a smile. They sat down at a table. Rose sighed. Better get it over with.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Ichigo. Isn't Orihime sad that you left Karakura?" He asked him. Ichigo looked over. He smiled a little wryly.

"Ahh, yeah. Well, we talked…" Rose motioned for him to elaborate.

"I turned her down…" Ichigo said, looking a little pained. Rose looked at him, he knew that, he also knew why but he had to hear it from Ichigo.

"Why?" He asked him. Ichigo didn't meet his eyes.

"Ichigo." Rose called out gently. "It's okay, tell me." He said. Ichigo still didn't meet his gaze.

"I turned her down because…I'm gay." Ichigo said, he swallowed heavily. Rose smiled.

"Nice, me too." He said.

Ichigo looked up, expression showing absolute surprise and shock before he burst out laughing. Rose joined him soon.

"Man, Rose! That's not the way to tell me that!" Ichigo told him between gasps of laughter. Rose only grinned at him innocently.

"You can tell the others too, you know. They won't judge you, Ichigo. We're your family after all." Rose told him with a grin. Ichigo grinned back, but it dimmed slowly.

"My…father…" Rose looked surprised that Ichigo would talk about this out of him own accord. "He…said some pretty terrible things to me when I came out…" Ichigo told him. Eyes downcast. Rose reached out and touched Ichigos arm.

"He's being an idiot Ichigo. And he'll notice it soon. Don't worry too much about it." Ichigo gave him a grateful smile. They moment was interrupted by two huge bowls of Ramen being sat down in front of them. They dug in and spend the rest of their meal talking and joking with one another. Many didn't realize it, but Ichigo and Rose got along splendidly. A lot of people thought Roses theatrics were rather overdone and uncool but Ichigo thought them to be hilarious. Also Rose was the only one besides Shinji he could talk to about music. To Ichigos dismay many Soul Reapers were blissfully ignorant towards pop culture, Rose was his only ray of light when he wanted to talk to someone about a new band he found or a piece he had managed to finally learn how to play on his guitar.

The weeks passed by. Ichigos and Roses joined training was a full success, they only had to break up two fights between the members of their divisions when things got a little too heated up. They high fived at the end of the day and grinned at each other.

The next Captains meeting was about to begin. Ichigo was leaning against the wall and looking around in boredom, he was pretty early because he had had some business at the Second and had shunpoed straight to the first afterwards.

"Hey!" He heard a voice to his right and turned towards it. Shinji was walking, with Hiyori in tow, towards him.

"Yo!" Ichigo called back, kicking of the wall and meeting them halfway.

"Heard you did some joined training with the third?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah-" Was all Ichigo got out before he was interrupted.

"Why didn't you ask the fifth, baldy?!" Hiyori asked him, a vein popping on her forehead. Ichigo held up his hands in a sign of peace.

"Rose offered, and I had been waiting for a chance, so I took it." Was all he said trying to calm Hiyori down.

"Well, then do one with our division next!" She said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Ahh, sure. Just not any time soon. I have a few other routines I want to go through with my division first. Also there are a few members about to reach bankai and I want to overlook their practice to make sure they don't accidentally kill someone." Ichigo said, sighing a little as he thought about his duties. Shinji looked at him surprised.

"A few members?" He asked incredulously. Ichigo nodded.

"They have been training really hard. Almost all of them have reached their Shikai, Bankai is still out if the reach for most so those people concentrate on healing and Kido, the ones that are about to reach Bankai get more training by me." Ichigo said, crossing his arms and already drawing up training plans in his head. Shinji and Hiyori exchanged an impressed look.

"And to think some Captains aren't even able to finish their paperwork…" Hiyori mumbled under her breath moodily. Ichigo hadn't heard her and was still deep in thought.

"Hey!" They heard Roses voice to their left. Ichigo shrugged of his thoughts and turned towards him with a smile. Rose felt a grin stretch across his face when he saw Ichigo, his heart gave a little tweeze as he took in his lean form. 'What the…?' He asked himself on the inside, keeping his thoughts off his face with difficulty as he greeted Shinji and Hiyori. Shinji was already looking and Ichigo and Rose with sharp eyes. He had noticed how Ichigos smile seemed the slightest bit brighter when he had greeted Rose. And he had noticed how Rose had looked at Ichigo for a split second. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his Cheshire cat grin from appearing.

"Ohh! Hey, Love!" He called, walking towards him and dragging a yelling Hiyori with him, away from the two. Rose sighed internally when he realized what Shinji was doing, and that he had most likely seen right through Roses thoughts.

"Everything okay?" Ichigos voice broke him out of his thoughts, Rose looked up and gave him a little smile.

"Yeah…Would you like to do something tonight?" Rose blurted out before he could stop himself. Ichigo blinked a little surprised before smiling and nodding his consent.

"Sure, got anything in mind?" Ichigo asked.

"Ahh…Let's just drink sake and hang out? I found this new band I think your going to like." Rose said.

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically. The meeting dragged on endlessly. But Ichigo left with a spring in his step. He didn't know why but during the last weeks any meeting with Rose…it made him happy. Talking to him, seeing his smile, just being in his proximity. He stopped walking after a few steps. Not good. No, no, no, no very not good. He had fallen in love with him. He had fallen in love with the one person that probably didn't consider him more than a good friend. Family, even. Ichigo pulled a face. The thought of hanging out with Rose that evening suddenly losing most of its charm.

He arrived at Roses place shortly after 7 o'clock, he rapped on the door and waited for a few seconds. Rose opened him with a smile, Ichigo held up two bottles of sake.

"Think it'll be enough for the both of us?" He asked him with a grin on his faces, on the inside he was trying his best to stop his stupid heart from starting to beat faster. Rose laughed.

"I don't know…It might be a little too less." He said with a grin, waving for Ichigo to follow him through the house.

They arrived on the porch and sat down next to one another. Rose producted two Sake cups from god knows where and they started drinking. Ichigo slowly started to loosen up after his third cup, he forgot about the fact that he should be nervous sitting next to Rose and simply enjoyed his company. The continued to drink and joke with one another. Both of them by now had a considerable amount of Sake in their system. Ichigo chuckled and leaned over to Rose, resting his head on the others shoulder. He felt Rose underneath him tense for a second before he felt an arm around him pulling him closer.

If he weren't as intoxicated he would have noticed the significance of the move but as it was he only thought that it felt nice and let himself fall even further into Roses arms. They sat in silence, watching the stars over their heads while leaning into one another. Rose couldn't believe his luck when Ichigo leaned onto him, his heart was hammering loudly in his chest when he moved his arm and pulled Ichigo closer. He too, had taken in an huge amount of Sake, but unlike Ichigo he had had years of building up a resistance and as a result wasn't as drunk as a certain strawberry.

"Hmm, it's getting late." Ichigo mumbled with a reluctant sigh. "I should get going."

Rose knew he was right but felt reluctant to let the younger man go. Ichigo slowly pulled away from Rose and got to his feet. Rose was still sitting down. Ichigo offered a hand to him with a smile. Rose sighed and took his hand. Ichigo pulled with a little too much force and Rose lost his footing when he managed to get on his feet. He fell forward right into Ichigo, who in turn lost his balance and the both of them crashed to the floor. Ichigo groaned loudly when his back hit the hard wood beneath him. He opened his eyes and blushed when he realized what sort of position they had landed in.

Ichigo was on his back, flat on the ground with Rose splayed right on top of him. Their legs were tangled together and Rose was currently slowly sitting up, pressing his middle to Ichigos as a result. Ichigo felt the redness spread across his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to reach up and pull Rose down into a kiss. His heart was going crazy. He forcefully ripped his eyes away from Roses lips and subconsciously licked his own.

He heard a groan on top of him and looked up. In the next second a pair of very soft lips were pressed to his own, without hesitantion Ichigo kissed back the Sake limiting his self awareness as he used one of his hands to tangle into Roses hair while the other wandered to his waist and pulled him closer. Their tongues met and danced, tangling together. Ichigo moaned at the Feeling. Very suddenly the kiss was ended. Rose was staring down at him his eyes wide and shocked.

"Rose…?" Ichigo asked, his heart sinking as he looked at the man on top of him. Rose quickly scrambled off of Ichigo, a hand pressed to his mouth.

"I shouldn't have done that…" Ichigo heard him mumble. By now they both were completely sober. Ichigos heart squeezed painfully as he heard Roses words. Stones seemed to be dragging in his stomach as he brushed a hand through his hair in distress. He swallowed heavily. He knew what he had to do, what he had to say to safe the remnants of his friendship to Rose.

"Rose…Let's forget about this…" Ichigo said, he tried to keep his voice neutral and forced a tiny smile on his face.

"I'll see you at the next meeting. Good night." He said and excused himself.

He was gone in a flash of Shunpo. He was running towards his division, reigning in his Reiatsu with pure force of will, he knew his emotions were in a tumble. His heart hurt, it hurt so much. He pushed open the door to his apartment, kicking it shut behind him be let himself sink to the floor. His hands were trembling he took a deep breath to control himself. A knock on his door alerted him. Taking another deep breath he opened the door and found Rose in front of him. Ichigo blinked in surprise.

"Rose-" Was about all he got out before his lips were assaulted once again.

Ichigo gasped and despite his better judgement pulled him closer, his hand finding its way into the incredibly soft hair once again. Ichigo pulled away with difficulty.

"What-?" He was silenced by another kiss. Ichigo pulled away once more. Attempting to speak again.

"Rose, what-?" This time he was interrupted by words.

"I love you…" Rose whispered. Ichigo stopped. He couldn't breathe, his ears were ringing with the blood rushing to his head and his heart hammering away in his chest.

"What…?" He whispered, eyes wide in shock as he stared at the man in front of him.

"I love you." Rose said once more, voice stronger. His words finally registered in Ichigos brain as he swooped down and kissed Rose deeply. He pulled away and looked Rose in the eye and he knew that his next words were nothing but the truth.

"I love you too." Ichigo said. Rose dragged him forward into another messy kiss. They continued to make out in the hallway for what could have been eternity.

"Bedroom." Rose whispered into Ichigos ear as they pulled up for air.

Ichigo had to stop any fantasies from assaulting his mind as he simply took Roses hand and pulled him into his bedroom. They entered and Rose turned towards Ichigo, with a smirk he pulled him closer and kissed him hungrily. Ichigo could only hold on as Rose started walking him back until his knees hit the corner of his bed. With another smirk Rose pushed him down making Ichigo fall with a small 'opff'. In the next second Rose as crawling over him, straddling his waist as he opened Ichigos Shihakusho. Ichigo gasped as Roses finger brushed over his skin. His mouth soon followed and left a treck of red marks on Ichigos skin. Ichigo could have never anticipated his loud moan as Rose sucked on his skin. He pressed himself closer to Rose. Rose pulled away and stared at Ichigo.

"Damn…you're so sexy…" Rose whispered as he leaned down and started trailing wet kisses along his collarbone.

"Don't mnn…say that…" Ichigo mumbled, muffling as gasp as Rose found another sweet spot. Rose chuckled again, he continued to trail his lips over Ichigos neck and chest sucking at Ichigos sweet spots.

Rose stopped after a few minutes, he leaned up and brushed Ichigos hair out of his face softly.

"Do you want to continue?" Rose asked him, voice soft. Ichigo blushed, this was the first time he was doing this, and in all honesty he wasn't sure whether he was ready to continue this early in their relationship. Ichigos silence must have told Rose more than anything else, he pressed a kiss to Ichigos lips and slowly pulled away. Ichigo felt his heart give another squeeze, his insides felt heavy. He felt guilt at not being able to continue yet. He reached out and pulled Rose in a hug, Rose blinked a few times in surprise before wrapping his arms around Ichigo.

"Sorry…" Ichigo mumbled into his ear. Rose pulled away and frowned at him, he reached out with a stern look on his face and pinched Ichigos cheek.

"Ouch!" Ichigo yelled, glaring up at him. Rose smiled at his plight but went back to being serious in a matter of seconds.

"There is no reason for you to apologize, Ichigo. Not being ready is nothing to be ashamed about, or to feel bad about. I am more than content with kissing you." He said, smiling at him kindly in the end. Ichigo blushed a little and smiled back at him. He reached out and pulled Rose down for another soft kiss.

"Ne…Rose?" Ichigo asked him. Rose looked down at him and hummed to signal for him to continue.

"Stay?" Ichigo asked, blushing again. Rose pulled away and looked at him confusedly.

"Ahh, I mean-not like that…I mean…would you just…stay…tonight…just sleeping." Ichigo asked, blushing madly. Rose grinned and swooped Ichigo into his arms, rolling around until they were lying in the middle of the bed. He grinned at Ichigo and with a flourish pulled a blanket over their still mostly dressed forms. Ichigo laughed and cuddled closer into Roses arms. Rose grinned brightly.

"Hey, Ichigo?" Rose asked.

"Yes…?" Ichigo answered, voice muffled as his head was pressed into the crook of Roses neck.

"Want to tell our family about this tomorrow?" Rose asked, voice slightly hesitant. Ichigo didn't even falter as he pulled away and grinned at Rose happily.

"Sure!" He said.

* * *

 **A/N:** Heyy heyy heyy :D I hope you enjoyed this little Story ^^

Rose x Ichigo gets no love . If you want more fanfics on these two just tell me :)

Thank you for reading ^-^

~ Sal


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: For some reason I never posted the second chapter to this over here. And I don't know why? Anyway here you are. I hope you like this small sequel.**

* * *

Rose stirred awake slowly. Blinking a few times he frowned as his eyes adjusted to the light that was flooding the room. Where the hell was he? This didn't look like his own home, neither did it look like the ceiling in the forth. His brain slowly caught on as he felt a warm body on his right.

He turned a little and came face to face with Ichigo. He instantly blushed madly and pressed a hand to his mouth, the memories of the previous night coming back.

They must have fallen asleep almost instantly. He smiled softly as he looked at the peaceful expression on Ichigos face. He reached out and brushed his orange hair back. Ichigo moved a little and blinked his eyes open. He looked uncomprehendingly at Rose for a few seconds before a tiny blush made itself known on his cheeks and a happy smile lit up his face. Rose felt the air leave his lungs at the truly breathtaking smile. Without stopping he moved closer and kissed Ichigo softly, brushing their noses together at the end. He smiled as he looked at Ichigos blushing face.

"Good morning." He whispered, caressing Ichigos face softly. Ichigo smiled again.

"Morning." He mumbled back.

"CAPTAIN!"

The door to their room was thrown open. There in the middle of the doorway stood Rukia. Lieutenant Badge around her arm and papers in hand. She blinked at them in shock before blushing madly as her brain caught on to the image. Rose and Ichigo blinked back at her completely shell shocked.

"I-I SAW NOTHING!" Rukia yelled, and banged the door shut behind her.

Ichigo made a small noise. Rose looked down, their eyes caught and suddenly Ichigo was on his back clutching his stomach in laughter. Rose soon joined him, the absurdity of what just happened catching on with them.

Calming slowly Ichigo laid back, hands still covering his belly and wiping tears from his eyes. Rose was having a hard time bringing his breathing back to normal. They turned towards each other and almost lost it again.

"Okay. Okay." Ichigo said, taking deep breaths to calm down. Rose was still wearing a grin and couldn't help a few giggles escaping him.

"We wanted to tell the others anyway, so this shouldn't really matter." Ichigo said, sitting up and combing a hand through his hair. He swung his legs over his side of the bed and got up. Rose sat up and watched Ichigo as he stretched his arms over his head. They were still wearing their clothes and Ichigo looked down at himself while pulling a face.

"You can borrow some clothes from me until you go home to get changed." Ichigo offered, walking to the closet to pull out a beautiful red and black yukata. He tossed it towards Rose and watched with a grin as it hit him square in the face. Rose glared at him and pushed a few strands of his hair out of his face that had fallen upon impact with the soft cloth.

Ichigo walked out of the bedroom while snickering, pulling out another one of his uniforms on his way. He quickly jumped under the shower and changed. Setting out a towel for Rose and making his way to the kitchen.

Rose walked out of the bedroom now dressed in the yukata and watched Ichigo prepare a simple breakfast with a smile on his face. Ichigo looked up and smiled at him.

"If you want you can take a shower. The towel sitting on the sideboard is yours." He said with a smile, gesturing towards the door leading to his bathroom.

Rose thanked him with a smile and vanished into it, the sound of splashing water following soon.

Ichigo hummed a soft tune under his breath as he fixed their breakfast. The last evening still seemed like a dream to him. He couldn't believe that Rose was here with him now, sleeping in his bed, wearing his clothes and soon eating at his table. He thought back on their kisses, a blush spreading across his face and neck as he remembered the things Rose had made him feel.

"What are you thinking about?" Ichigo startled and turned around. He was greeted with Rose leaning on the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, hair wet and a smirk on his face.

"Nothing." Ichigo said, blushing deeper and knowing that Rose did not believe one word he said.

"Hmm." Rose said, pushing off the doorway and making his way towards Ichigo slowly. He leaned down until their faces were inches away from one another.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked, breath ghosting over Ichigos lips and cheeks.

Ichigo swallowed heavily. His breathing was accelerating, and he could feel his heart hammering away in his chest. Rose smiled as he noticed Ichigos reaction. Deciding not to torture his new lover too much he stepped closer and pulled him into his chest.

Wrapping his arms around his middle firmly. He smiled down at Ichigo who smiled back at him brightly. Ichigo reached out with his arms and locked them behind Roses head, he slowly pulled him down and they kissed softly. Letting their feelings for one another pour through their connected lips. They broke apart, matching smiles on their lips as they rested their forehead together.

Their duties soon called and after a quick breakfast they went their separate ways, promising to meet up again in the evening to tell their family the news. Ichigo strolled into his division, humming under his breath. He stepped inside his office and saw Rukia looking up at him from her desk, she started blushing madly and began stuttering incoherently for a few seconds.

"Cap- Well you see-uhm-I mean-I saw-promise-uhm-ah…" Rukia said, blush growing worse and worse. Ichigo watched her with an amused grin. He held up his hand to stop her words.

"It's okay Rukia. It was actually pretty hilarious if you ask me. Anyway, me and Rose had planned to tell everybody today so there really is no harm done." He said, a smirk on his face.

Rukia pressed her lips together and nodded once, with a sigh she sat back down at her desk. Ichigo smirked some more before sitting down at his desk and looking at the piles of paperwork waiting for him in dismay. He gave a long-suffering sigh and took the first paper. This was going to be a long day.

Ichigo stretched and yawned loudly. It was late into the evening and he had finally managed to finish his paperwork. Had someone told him how gruesome paperwork truly was going to be he would have had a few more doubts about becoming a Captian.

He slowly started to walk towards Roses apartment. They had agreed to meet there after Ichigo had finished. Rose had already managed to finish most of his work the day before and had as a result more free time in the evening. Ichigo smiled a little when he thought about his lover. A gentle and kind lover with the most beautiful eyes Ichigo had ever seen. With a spring in his step he made his way to Rose.

He knocked quickly, Rose opened the door and grinned at him. With a laugh Ichigo was pulled inside of Roses apartment. Before he could do anything he was pushed against the wall in the hallway and his lips were assaulted by Roses.

Ichigo smiled into the kiss as he threw his arms around Roses neck and kissed him back passionately. Rose hummed softly and broke the kiss with a smile.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey." Ichigo said back grinning.

"Shinji and some of the others are joining us in half an hour." Rose told him with a casual shrug. Ichigo blinked in surprise.

"Really?" He asked. Rose pulled up his eyebrows and looked at him.

"We did agree to tell them today, no time like the present." He said, smiling at him.

"Alright, I guess. I just didn't know that you'd invite them just to tell them something like this." Ichigo said, scratching his neck. Rose pulled away and gave him a mock pout.

"'Something like this'?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Ichigo quickly scrambled to defend himself.

"Ahh you know, I didn't mean it like this…I just…I don't…you know what…I'm just going to shut up now." He said, voice defeated and looking at them floor. Rose chuckled at him.

"Yes, you do that, and I'll get dinner out for our friends." Rose told him with a smile.

"Dinner?" Ichigo asked.

"Why of course, I had to get them to join us somehow didn't I?" Rose said back, shrugging his shoulders and walking inside. Ichigo followed him closely.

"What did you make?" He asked curiously. Rose turned around dramatically and fell into a low bow.

"Why, Curry of course!" He told him with a smile.

"Curry?" Ichigo asked him. Eyes dancing with mirth and a matching smile in his lips.

"Yep." Rose said, popping the 'p'. "I know it's your favorite." He told Ichigo, a small blush forming on his cheeks. Ichigos smile grew, he walked towards Rose and pulled him into a kiss.

"Thank you." Ichigo breathed softly.

"Your Welcome." Rose mumbled back, voice getting a husky undertone.

Ichigo quickly pushed away before they could get sidetracked. Rose gave him a knowing grin but didn't say anything as he made his way into the kitchen. Ichigo started setting the table while humming a song under his breath. A loud knock on the door alerted them to the arrival of their guests. Rose walked past Ichigo and opened the door with a flourish. The other Vizard were standing in the door, even those that had decided to stay in the world of the living.

They were all chattering together, and greetings were exchanged. Ichigo gulped as his nerves kicked in, his stomach felt like it was in knots. Shinji waltzed right in and greeted Ichigo brightly. Ichigo smiled back at him and started to relax as the usual jumble of his family started. They were all seated around the table. Their antics filling the living space with happy laughs and shouts. Ichigo couldn't suppress the grin on his face, those guys really were his family.

A loud and rumbustious family. But a family non the less. Rose caught his eyes and smiled at him warmly, Ichigo smiled back not noticing that he was grinning even brighter then before.

Rose leaned back in his chair and surveyed his family. It really had been a while since he had last seen them. Since they last had the time to all gather in one place. He looked around and noticed the happy grin and soft look in Ichigos eyes.

He caught his eyes and smiled at him, understanding his feelings without words. Ichigo smiled back, the same breathtaking smile he had bestowed upon Rose the morning before. Really the occasion was too good to pass up. Without further ado Rose leaned over and kissed Ichigo right then and there. He could feel Ichigo stiffen in surprise, and really, he hadn't meant to out them like that either but Ichigos smile was just too irresistible.

Ichigo barely had time to kiss him back before they broke apart. It hadn't been long or passionate. More of a short, sweet peck. They were looking into each other's eyes and a blush started to creep over Ichigos cheeks, only for his face to start glowing tomato red when Shinji whistled at them from across the table. They hadn't noticed the surprised reaction of their friends, everybody had grown quite and stared at them.

Shinji's whistle finally broke them out of their trance. The others wished them well and laughed at Ichigos innocent reaction, who was hiding his blush behind his hands and decidedly not looking at anyone. He halfheartedly glared at Rose, who in answer shrugged and pecked him on the cheek. Ichigo pouted at that, sending the others off into another fit of laughter.

"Since when are the two of you together?" Love asked, curious despite himself.

"Since yesterday." Ichigo and Rose said at the same time. The others looked at them incredulously.

"Pretty early to tell us isn't it?" Shinji asked lightly.

Rose and Ichigo looked at one another.

"But our family had to know first." Was all Ichigo said, Rose nodding next to him vehemently. Shinji blinked at them in surprise before cracking a grin.

"Congrats anyways." Was all he said before raising his cup of sake at them.

Ichigo and Rose looked at each other and smiled. Hiyori made retching noises in the background which were ignored by them as they leaned into each other and kissed again.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

The next few months flew by without notice. Rose and Ichigo were often busy with their duties as captains but they made use of any time they could spend together. The day after they had come out to their family they kissed right on the plaza in front of the first division barracks, after one of their captain's meetings. They got a few surprised looks and a low whistle from Kyoraku. Byakuya even bestowed a nod and an almost smile towards them before making his way towards his division.

Ichigo let his head fall forward onto his desk with a loud 'bang'. The paperwork was piling up once again and Rukia and himself just couldn't seem to finish it no matter how many forms they filled out, the piles just refused to shrink. Rukia had long since given up and was staring at the mount of paperwork with something similar to despair in her eyes.

"Captain?" She asked him, voice slightly off sounding.

"Hnnn?" Ichigo answered, way too tired to address her properly.

"Let's just burn it." Rukia whispered, her voice taking a lunatic undertone. "Yes, yes…let's burn it all!"

She yelled, readying her hand to fire a Fire-Kido at the pile of paperwork in front of her. Ichigo got up quickly and jumped over his desk with a big leap, clutching onto her waist he could barely stop her from turning their whole office into dust.

"…."

"…."

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"…I think you should go home." Ichigo told her, still ready to stop any Kidos being fired.

Rukia nodded once, eyes glazed over and walked towards the door. She was gone in a flash of shunpo. Ichigo sighed deeply and face palmed. It really happened, the first mental breakdown thanks to paperwork. Pitching his nose Ichigo looked at his overflowing desk and was seriously tempted to make use of a Fire-Kido, shaking his head to lose the thought he sat down and began to work. A quite knock disturbed him in his work.

"Come in." He called.

The door was opened, and Rose stood in front of him. He was carrying what seemed to be to cups of coffee. Rose smiled at Ichigo softly. With surprise Ichigo noticed that it seemed to be late into the evening as he could see the sky outside through his open door.

"Hey." Rose called out and walked towards him, kicking the door close behind him with a well-aimed kick.

"Hey." Ichigo said back, a jay breaking yawn almost interrupting his greeting. Rose chuckled at little and set the tea down in front of him.

"Here, drink. It helps against the tiredness, even though the taste is pretty terrible." Rose told him kindly, stepping closer towards Ichigo and brushing back his fringe from his forehead. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to it before flattening Ichigos hair once again. Ichigo closed his eyes briefly and hummed at Roses caresses.

"How late is it?" Ichigo asked, lamenting the fact that he didn't have a clock in his office.

"It's almost 3 in the morning." Rose told him. Ichigo looked up at him surprised.

"Really?! I didn't notice…" Ichigo said, trailing off.

Rose bestowed him with a rueful smile and looked at the many papers littering Ichigos desk. He looked back at his boyfriend's face and noticed the deep bags underneath his eyes.

"I know you won't be able to get any sleep without at least half of this finished…Do you need some help?" Rose offered quietly.

Ichigo looked down at his desk, Rukias absence was noticeable and he really needed to finish some of these papers on the following day. Ichigos shoulders slumped as he thought about the fact that he would have to use his boyfriend's kindness like that.

"…I'm not going to deny that I need help with this…But I really don't like the feeling of you helping me because you feel obligated to…" Ichigo told Rose, raking a hand through his hair in agitation. Rose chuckled lightly.

"I am actually being pretty selfish. After all, if I help you finish these then you'll be in my debt." Rose told him, smirking at him. Now it was Ichigos turn to chuckled. Rose clapped once.

"Now that that's clear, let's get started." Rose told him brightly.

They downed their cups of horrible tasting coffee and sat down to finish the paperwork.

The sun was getting up outside when the both of them finally put down their pens. Ichigo face was pale from lack of sleep and Rose didn't look much better. Pulling a blank paper from his desk Ichigo wrote a quick note to Rukia telling her that he had finished almost everything the previous night and the things she would need to do for the day as he needed some much-deserved sleep.

Not saying anything Ichigo got up and took Roses wrist in his hand. He half dragged his boyfriend towards his apartment, they kicked off their shoes and much like on the first evening the kisses fell asleep in their full outfits cuddled together on Ichigos bed.

They woke up in the evening smiling at each other sleepily and exchange a soft kiss.

"Thank you." Ichigo breathed softly. Rose's smile turned into a grin.

"No problem, love. Now you're in my debt and I can use it against you whenever I want!" Rose told him happily, steeping his fingers together like a cheesy movie villain. Ichigo couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Hungry?" Ichigo asked Rose with a smile. Rose nodded, a smirk suddenly found it's way on his face and he pushed Ichigo further into the bed, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist.

"Hungry for some Ichigo ~ "Rose said, grinning as he leaned down to pull Ichigo into another kiss, this one deeper and messier than the first.

Ichigo kissed back passionately. It had been a while since the two of them could indulge in a good make out session. They still hadn't gone further than they had on their first night together and Ichigo was glad Rose didn't push him too far.

With nibble fingers Ichigo started undoing Roses clothes, pushing them off his shoulders to get his hand on Roses skin, to feel the muscles ripping at his stomach and his strong shoulders under his hands. Rose broke away panting and grinned at Ichigo.

"You too." He mumbled softly, pulling Ichigo upwards and undressing him with practiced ease. Both shirtless they went back to making out, brushing they hands against each other's skin and letting them dip into curves and sweet spots. Ichigo moaned into their kiss as Rose rubbed his nipples and let his hand wander lower.

Just before he reached Ichigos crouch Roses stopped and broke their kiss. He looked Ichigo deep in the eye as he asked his next question.

"May I?" He asked, holding his hand still and letting Ichigo grasp a rational thought before doing anything. Ichigo stopped and looked back. They hadn't gone that far before, but gods he wanted to.

"Yes." Ichigo mumbled back, pulling Rose into a kiss.

Rose hesitated for a spilt second before trailing his hand lower slowly. He brushed his fingertips against the bulge in Ichigos pants. Ichigo gasped and broke their kiss. Rose instantly started attacking his neck, he pushed his hand harder against Ichigos erection, massaging it through the layers of cloth. Ichigo was moaning in abandon, throwing his head to the side and allowing Rose better access.

Rose slid his hand back to Ichigos belly and started opening his trousers slowly. Again, he stopped his ministrations.

"Okay?" He asked, breathing fast and uneven. Ichigo could only nod.

"I'll stop anytime you want." Rose mumbled as he pressed another kiss to Ichigos neck.

He slowly opened his pants and slid his hand in. He could feel Ichigos hardness through his underwear, a wet spot at the tip told him exactly how aroused his strawberry was, as if his continuous cries and moans weren't enough. Ichigo moaned again loudly as Rose started rubbing him. He was getting desperate fast. It wasn't enough, he needed more, he wanted more.

"Rose-" Ichigo mewled brokenly.

Rose stopped sucking at Ichigos sweet spots, wondering if this was as far as he could go with his lover for today. "Please, more-" Ichigo whimpered, undermining any thought of stopping Rose had. He quickly pushed underneath Ichigos underwear and grasped his member in his hand. Roses own erection was standing almost painfully between his legs as he started pumping his lover's length.

He could finally feel how big Ichigo truly was. While Rose might have been a little longer Ichigo was by far thicker than him. Ichigo squirmed and moaned at the feeling of his lover jerking him off.

"Rose-wait-I'm-I'm close." Ichigo gasped as Rose continued pumping him. Rose stilled his hand, drawing a whine from Ichigo.

"Ichigo." He gasped breathlessly. He had to get some friction himself, but he didn't want to push his strawberry too far.

"May I try something?" Rose asked him softly. Ichigo was still breathing irregularly as he nodded his head.

Rose pushed down Ichigo trousers and pulled out his leaking erection. He quickly copied his movements with his own trousers and member. He looked up only to see Ichigos eyes darkening with lust and fixed on Roses erection. He smirked as he leaned towards his strawberry and whispered into his ear.

"Like what you see?" He mumbled huskily, before biting Ichigos earlobe.

Ichigo gasped at Roses ministrations and words. Rose leaned back and took Ichigos erection in his hand, he pushed his own hips forward and pressed their dicks together. They moaned at the same time as they felt one another, Rose grasped his own dick in his hand too, pressing their erection even closer and jerking them off at the same time. Ichigo reached out his trembling hand and closed the part of their dicks that Rose couldn't enfold in his hands.

Rose moaned as he felt Ichigos hand on his dick, joining his rhythm as the jerked off together.

"Rose-I can't!" Ichigo gasped, he was so incredibly close.

"Me too-Ichigo-just let it go." Rose moaned back as they doubled their speed and spilled all over their stomachs, each other's names on their lips. Panting and spend Rose collapsed on top of Ichigo. Ichigo was trying to bring his breathing back to normal with difficulty.

"That was…" Ichigo mumbled, he couldn't really find the words to describe it.

"Amazing." Rose provided pushing himself up from Ichigos chest and smiling at him. Ichigo smiled back and nodded his consent.

"Yes, yes it was." Ichigo whispered, he pulled Rose closer and kissed him deeply.


End file.
